Tell me about your grandmother (or grandfather)

country lady

Songster
11 Years
Nov 8, 2008
693
1
154
NW Tennessee
The older I become, the more I think of my grandmother. Growing up I had mixed emotions about her. Now I remember how unique she was for her time. She ran a boarding house during the '40s, mostly young single men. Usually she knew their parents and was more like a house mother to them. The woman could scold, tease, and pray at the same time!
lau.gif
Mothers knew when they sent their young men up north to work that someone was caring for and about them.

Her favorite color was purple, same as mine. She was poor as a child and the simplest things delighted her: ice cream, fresh fruit (what a gardener!), costume jewelry, animals, etc. My only regret is that I didn't show her more affection as a child and verbally tell her that I loved her.
 
Mine was very loving and caring to most everyone she knew. When the family vivited she'd always cook humongous meals and made sure her grandbabies got plenty ro eat.

Now as a grandfather (2 grandsons- 2 almost 3 and 1 almost 2), I try to make sure they are provided for even though they have their parents.


ETA: My maternal grandmother is still living, 94 years old.
 
Last edited:
My paternal grandmother was a go getter. She was only 35 when I was born so she was always fun. She loves flowers and raises tons of them. She also has a big garden every year. And man what a cook she is. I get my love of flowers, gardening and cooking from that woman. My maternal grandmother was older when I was born. She raised 5 kids and several grnadkids and I know she was worn out but that didn't stop her from having a big garden every year. They were poor and she cooked on an old wood stove and had no clothes dryer. I get my love of hanging clothes on my clotheline form her. To her is wasn't a novelty but a neccesity to use a clothesline. Both my grandmothers taught me how to can and preserve vegetables. I wish now I had gotten them to teach me how to crochete and quilt.
 
I was raised by my Grandparents. Everything I am or ever hope to be is due to them.

My Grandmother is the only person I have ever known that I never once heard say anything bad about anyone. Ever. The best cook, the kindest soul, a wonderful gardener and loved her flowers and her family. She was the sweetest person I have ever known. We lost her 15 years ago last Tuesday.

My Grandfather was a Man. He handled every situation with dignity and honesty. He never backed down from a chore, raised us to think for ourselves and to take a stand for what we believed in. If I die being half the man he was I'll die happy.

They raised 13 kids and several grandkids on a poor dirt farm. We wore patched clothes, but they were clean. We ate simple food we raised ourselves, but we never went hungry. At our house the children ate first, then the women, then the men. Pa ate last of all. I stayed with him and took care of him the last four years he was alive. I only hope my children will be there for me and my wife the same way.

I was raised poor, but was rich in all things that mattered. I am a lucky man.
 
While my grandparents lived interesting lives, they honestly weren't much in the way of "Grammy and Grampy" to me. My grandfather was MUCH MUCH older than my grandmother. Born in the late 1800's, he was a famous organist in his time, and had his own radio show. He also comes from a line of famous organ makers. I have photos of him cut out from magazines. He played organ at Longfellow's children's funeral!! Yes, as in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poet. My grandfather died LONG before I was born, my mother in fact was still a child when he died, so I never met him.

My grandmother was an entertainment photographer for the Boston Globe, and her walls were covered in many photographs of her with famous people, Dizzy Gillespie, Judy Garland, Elvis, etc. She was close friends with "Marvelous Marvin" Hagler, One time well known boxer, now in the World Boxing Hall of Fame. She was very popular even into her 70's. I'll never forget the time that LL Cool J showed up to her 70th birthday party in Boston! I was a teenager at the time and I loved him. Really nice guy by the way.

So while I have semi-interesting grandparents, as far as their life stories go, they weren't there for me much. I never even met my grandfather as I said, and my grandmother was never real warm and fuzzy. She was friendly and fun, but she seemed to like socializing with the adults more than spending time with us kids. She died of brain cancer when I was 17. So I never had much time with her, even. She CERTAINLY was not the baking cookies type of grandma at all. She was too busy running out to bars with younger men! She partied until she died, but she loved her life.
 
Last edited:
I love to hear about your grandparents. My southern grandmother could set a table like nobody I've seen. She hired relatives to help her cook for her boarders and there's a reason why it's called "boarding house reach." Her house was about three blocks from a railroad track in lower town, MI, (we called it "lore" town with our southern accents), and she often fed hobos out the back door. Even on a large lot she kept chickens and had fresh eggs on the table. Later on she had a small farm and rode a horse. Her father was a skilled rider as well as a couple of her sons (including my father). I could tell so many stories about this woman. How I miss her!
 
I could write a book of all my GP, as I was adopted I have....let me see....8, I think

Ya all wanna read a Steven King novel?
 
My grandmother babysat my sister and me when my parents were at work. She lived two houses away from us. She had her own quirks but didn't know they were different because we saw her so much. She would take us swimming, take us to the park, go on walks, pick flowers, take us to visit great grandma, get us ice cream. She would always laugh when the dog "attacked" a kick ball when it bounced off of him or when the dog would "attack" a stream of water from the hose. The older she got her alzheimers got worse. I regretfully began pulling away from her to protect myself but she probably felt so alone when i didn't say goodbye on holidays. As her alzheimers progressed, there were certain things that "came out" from her childhood that she had repressed for years. She had been abused but she did the best she could to raise her own kids and to spoil her grandchildren. I was in college when she was on her death bed. During our choir tour we had a stop near my home town so i spent the night at home. Before my parents took me back to the tour bus in the morning my dad said i better say my final goodbyes to grandma. I remember sitting on her bed next to her even though the slightest movement of the bed caused her pain. she looked over at me and didn't remember my name but said "I love you, little girl" those were the last words my grandma spoke to me. Today I am a grown woman with kids and I still think of my grandma and visit her grave and apologize for mentally abandoning her in her last few years. If I could take it all back I would have hugged her, gave her kisses and told her how much I loved her and appreciated her being my grandma.
 
Funny that you posted this today, My BFF and I were both reminiscing about our Grandparents earlier.

Paternal grandma was a vibrant woman. Blonde hair, rosy cheeks, BRIGHT blue eyes and a contagious laugh. She rode around in style in her '65 convertible mustang. Always had a shovel in the back in case she saw a plant that she wanted some of. She was not afraid to knock on doors to ask for cuttings. Boy could she bake. Chocolate cream pies, chocolate chip cookies, custards all from scratch and (unfortunately) from memory. Grandma had a hard life with my grandfather. He was not a good husband/father. They were poor as he spent the $ she made (he didnt work often) on booze and lady friends. Grandma divorced him in the 1960's and managed to put the kids through school herself. Grandma was full of energy till the end. She passed of a stroke she had while mending a fence.

I wont speak of grandpa.

My maternal grandmother is still alive, and I love her to bits. She speaks little English, but we manage. She has a small home based plant nursery in south Texas. She can sprout petrified wood. I'm not sure if I've ever seen her sit down. If she's not outside messing with plants she is cooking. Her doors are always open, people are always coming in and out and she always has some home made goodie to offer. From what I hear that is how it has always been with her, doors open, beans on the stove, coffee and tea ready for anyone.

My paternal grandfather died when I was 5. He still watches over all of us. From what I hear he was a pillar in the community. Very well respected, hard working and honest. He died of lung cancer. I wish I remembered him, photos just dont do it.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom